Women urge FDA to pull contraceptive device linked to pain

WASHINGTON - Women who received a metallic birth control implant are urging health regulators to pull the device from the market, citing problems like severe pain, bleeding and weight gain.

The Essure implant has been sold for more than a decade and is frequently pitched to women as the only non-surgical option for permanent birth control. The German manufacturer Bayer estimates 750,000 women have received the device since 2002.

But since 2013, the Food and Drug Administration has received thousands of complaints about the device from women and doctors. While the product's label warns about pelvic pain and bleeding immediately after the procedure, many women said these problems persisted and were so severe they required surgery to remove the device.

The FDA convened a panel of experts Thursday to review the device's safety.